Hopeful Hopelessness
by mushroom1302
Summary: Wuya's loose and Jack Spicer still at large, Kimiko is worried about the future, but just because everything else is falling apart,doesn't mean that she'll give up on Raimundo and she'll do anything to find him.Even if it means deserting everyone elsefin
1. Default Chapter

Disclaimer: I do not own Xiaolin Showdown.

"GOLDEN TIGER CLAWS!" Raimundo yelled.

A gash appeared in mid air. He jumped into it and appeared in the temple. He had to be quick, they would be back from training soon. A grabbed his bag and shoved all his possessions into it.

"GOLDEN TIGER CLAWS!" he yelled again and disappeared through another gap.

Kimiko came running round the corner. She looked around.

"Omi! Raimundo was just here!" she called.

Omi and Clay slid around the corner.

"Perhaps Master Fung moved Raimundo's things?" said Omi.

"No! I heard him yell I know I did!" said Kimiko, "He just used the golden tiger claws!"

"I know you miss him Kimiko, but you might as well face the facts; Raimundo's gone and he ain't coming back!" said Clay.

"Look, I know what I heard! Why would I imagine Raimundo yelling 'Golden Tiger Claws?'" said Kimiko.

Master Fung came round the corner.

"Is anything wrong Kimiko?" he asked.

"Master Fung did you move Raimundo's things?" she asked.

"No I did not. It looks as if Raimundo didn't want to cause any trouble while collecting his things. If you hear him again, I would not try to distract him unless he is doing something wrong." Said Master Fung.

"But…" began Kimiko.

"We do not want him to feel as though he is being hunted!" said Master Fung.

"He deserves to be hunted! He helped Wuya become whole again! If he does wish to return he should be truly sorry for his acts! He is no better than Jack Spicer!" Said Omi, angrily.

"You should not make Raimundo feel unwelcome or he will not return young monk! You should all rest and let Raimundo be on his way. As long as he is not stealing Shen-gong-wu, he is not doing anything wrong here!" said Master Fung, "If he appears again with no intention but to get his possessions, then do not disturb him!"

Master Fung left. Clay looked at the other two; they were both looking at their feet.

"Master Fung's right, unless Raimundo does anything wrong here then he's no more guilty than a cow eating hay!" said Clay.

"But I just feel so helpless, if we hadn't been so wrapped up with becoming apprentices, then we would've noticed that Raimundo was unhappy!" said Kimiko, "I don't care what Master Fung says! If Raimundo shows up again I _will_ talk to him!"

"But Kimiko…" began Omi.

"No buts Omi! If Raimundo shows, I'm going to sort things out!" said Kimiko, leaving.

A Gash appeared in mid air. Raimundo jumped out. If he had done it right he would be inside a plane on the way to Brazil and away from the Xiaolin Temple forever. He had other things to worry about; he didn't have time for the Xiaolin apprentices.

He walked out of the bathroom and sat himself in the nearest empty seat.

"Would you like a drink sir?" asked the airhostess.

"No thanks!" said Raimundo.

The airhostess smiled and walked away. He was so tired, he been planning this perfectly for the last three days. He couldn't just appear in Brazil, it would look to weird if he just appeared, there would be no guarantee that no one was around. Raimundo closed his eyes and fell asleep.

"I don't believe this! Look at my robots! Smashed!" shouted Jack.

He pulled a disk shaped like a cat's head out of one of the machines.

"Katnappe! One day I will get you and your crumby super kittens!" he shouted.

"Hello Jack!" said a voice behind him.

Jack screamed and turned around. He was face to face with Katnappe.

"Oh, hey…you didn't happen to hear that did you?" asked Jack.

"Oh no I didn't hear a thing about me and my 'crumby' super kittens!" she said, running a claw over the table.

"Oh, thank god!" said Jack, "Hey wait a second!"

"Look I'm in a hurry, you haven't seen Wuya have you?" she asked.

"Not since she became solid again." said Jack, pulling out his tool draw to fix his robots.

"Well then you can help me! I want the Golden Tiger Claws and I want them now! So let's say I help you challenge the Xiaolin brats and I enter a Xiaolin showdown with them. They lose the claws and I get them. You get to keep the other Shen-gong-wu." Said Katnappe.

"No can do!" said Jack, "and do you mind not scratching the table, I just got it cleaned!"

"Why can't you do it?" snapped Katnappe, wiping the Robot from the table.

"Hey! I was fixing that!" moaned Jack, "The reason I can't help you is that one of the brats decided to help Wuya become solid. She glided off and now he's run off with the Tiger Claws. He keeps moving, so if you want them, you have to get them yourself!"

"I'll pay you," she said.

"We'd better get going right now if we want to find him. He's probably out of the country now!" said Jack grabbing his coat.

Kimiko rolled over and looked at her clock. Midnight, good, the others would be asleep. She got up and grabbed her back pack. She didn't care what Master Fung said, she was going to find Raimundo and she was going to help him. He made a mistake, but mistakes could be forgiven.

She pick up the essentials, her hand-held computer, money, a change of clothes, Mantas flip coin, serpent's tail and tangle web comb. She had taken the Shen-gong-wu when no one was looking. She was going to bring them back, along with Raimundo she thought as she scribbled a few words down.

She picked up her bag and ran out to the courtyard. She was going to do whatever it took to find him, even if it meant going through the plant a million times.

"SERPENT'S TAIL!" she yelled and flew into the ground.

Raimundo would hear screams, he wasn't sure if he was dreaming or awake. He opened his eyes and found everyone running towards the back of the plane. He looked out of the window. Wuya was standing at the front of the plane. Surrounded by fire.

"No!" shouted Raimundo.

He ran towards the front of the Plane and into the control room. The pilot and co-pilot were both running towards the door.

"What do you think you're doing? If you don't keep steering we all die!" said Raimundo, "I'll take care of her!"

"But I…" said the pilot.

"Just do it!" shouted Raimundo, "GOLDEN TIGER CLAWS!"

He jumped into the gash and the next thing he knew he was flying through the air at Wuya. He caught her ankle and held on for dear life. Wuya smiled and they began falling.

"What are you doing?" shouted Raimundo.

"Collecting my partner!" said Wuya.

They hit the ground. Raimundo was surprised to find that all his body parts were working.

"I've been looking for you Raimundo, I made a promise to you and I intend to keep it!" said Wuya, cackling.

"Tell someone who cares! I've had enough of the whole Xiaolin Showdown thing, I'm going back to Brazil!" said Raimundo.

"You chose to be my partner!" said Wuya, "But if you've changed your mind, I'll just take to Golden Tiger Claws and be on my way!"

Raimundo smiled, how stupid was this witch.

"You really think I'm going to hand them over? Yeah, right, that'll happen!" said Raimundo as he turned away.

Wuya smiled and waved a hand. The Tiger Claws flew from his hand.

"Hey!" shouted Raimundo; he drew the sword of the storm from the bag on his back.

"Stop right there!" shouted a third voice.

Wuya and Raimundo turned and saw Jack Spicer and Katnappe in Jack's hover car.

"Hand over the claws!" shouted Jack as his Jackbots surrounded them.

"Why do you even bother with those things?" asked Katnappe.

"They look threatening!" said Jack.

"Whatever!" said Katnappe, leaning back.

"JACKBOTS ATTACK!" shouted Jack.

"Golden Tiger Claws!" said Wuya and she disappeared.

Raimundo swore under his breath, the jackbots weren't much of a threat when there was just a few of them, but there were hundreds. There was no way he could beat them on his own. Raimundo closed his eyes, this was it. He would never see Brazil or his friends again. He would never get another chance to say sorry…

"MANTAS FLIP COIN!" came a yell and Raimundo felt an arm being wrapped through his and then he was in the air again.

He landed face down in the grass and then they were of again. It was a while before Raimundo dared open his eyes again. He landed safely on the ground, far away from Jack, Katnappe and the Jackbots. He looked at who had saved him.

"Kimiko?"


	2. chapter 2

"Master Fung!" shouted Omi, running in the grand hall.

"What is it young monk?" asked Master Fung.

"Kimiko is gone!" said Omi, "and all that was left was this!"

Master Fung took the note from Omi and read it aloud so Clay and Dojo could hear it.

"Dear Omi, Clay, Dojo and Master Fung,

I've gone to find Raimundo. I can't just sit back and let every good part of him be destroyed by Wuya. I've taken the mantas flip coin, tangle web comb and the serpent's tail. I'll bring them back when I find him and I'll drop them of if I don't. I'll see you all later, but it is important that Raimundo is stopped before he does anything too stupid.

Luv Kimiko."

-------x-------

"I don't believe the amount of Shen-gong-wu we've lost through this! First Raimundo and now Kimiko! This is going to need a lot of work to patch up!" said Dojo.

"This getting messier than a mad bull in a paint store!" said Clay.

"Not only that, but now we're down from four members to two! It's going to take all our effort to get the Shen-gong-wu now!" said Omi.

Master Fung stood up. He looked strange, like he was trying to suppress anger. They had never really seen him that angry. He turned and walked away.

"Kimiko?" asked Raimundo.

Kimiko didn't look up. She put the mantas flip coin in her pocket and the serpent's tail in her bag.

"We've got to get going, it won't take them long to find us." She said.

"They won't come after us now; they just wanted the Golden Tiger claws." Said Raimundo.

"You lost the claws?" said Kimiko, looking at him for the first time.

"I didn't lose them so much as Wuya took them right off my hand!" said Raimundo, rubbing the back of his head guiltily.

Kimiko opened her mouth to yell at him, but then she remembered why she was there.

"We've got to go! The others will be waiting, not that they'll be happy to see either of us now. I'll probably lose my sash for this!" said Kimiko.

"What? I'm not going back to the temple! You've got to be kidding me! No way!" said Raimundo.

"Look! I've put my butt on the line to get you to come back, now come on!" said Kimiko.

"No! I'm a Shen-gong-wu thief! If Jack Spicer, Wuya or Katnappe don't kill me Omi will! It's not going to happen!" said Raimundo.

"Well then I'm going to get killed too!" said Kimiko.

"What?" asked Raimundo.

"You think I was told to come and find you? After you came to the temple last night I was told that I wasn't to come near you, not even if you came to the temple, but I wasn't standing for that so I stole some Shen-gong-wu and ran for it!" said Kimiko, pulling the Shen-gong-wu out to show Raimundo.

Raimundo looked from the Shen-gong-wu to Kimiko to the Shen-gong-wu again and back to Kimiko. Then he started laughing.

"What's so funny?" she snapped.

"They're the only ones you brought! You think we're going to make it back to the temple with just those?" laughed Raimundo.

"Well I didn't think we were going to need anymore, it didn't occur to me that you would let Wuya take the Tiger claws!" said Kimiko, angrily.

Raimundo stopped laughing.

"I didn't let her have them! She took them!" he yelled.

Kimiko listened for a second then grabbed Raimundo and pulled him down under the roots of a tree. A green serpent was circling the area. It was Clay, Omi and Dojo.

"What Shen-gong-wu is it?" asked Omi.

"The golden lasso!" said Clay, reading the scroll, "An unbreakable lasso made of gold! Anyone caught in it will have to stay there till someone lets them out!"

"We need to find it before Wuya does! With all the recent thefts we need to stock up on Shen-gong-wu quickly! Master Fung also needs something to be happy about! He looked most angry! If Kimiko does return it would not surprise me if she was sent away from the temple!" said Omi.

Kimiko's jaw dropped. She was going to be sent away from the temple? Raimundo put a hand on her shoulder. She looked at him and he signalled her to follow. They got to a clearing and stood up.

"Are you going to be okay?" asked Raimundo.

Kimiko shook her head slightly. Then her head snapped up. A golden rope was hanging in a tree.

"The golden Lasso!" she said.

She ran forward and began climbing the tree. She placed her hand on the lasso at the same time as someone else. She looked up at Omi.

"Omi I…" she began.

"Hands of Omi! This is ours!" said Raimundo.

"So, you have turned against us! You will pay most dearly!" said Omi.

"No I…" began Kimiko again.

"Kimiko I challenge you to a Xiaolin Showdown!" said Omi.

Kimiko looked around helplessly, and then down at Raimundo. He nodded.

"Omi…name your challenge!" said Kimiko.

"We must each climb up a side of this tree and the first to reach the lasso wins! My third arm sash against your tangle web comb!" said Omi.

"Bring it on!" said Kimiko.

There was a flash of light and they were both at the bottom of the tree, which had grown a lot taller.

They both yelled "GONG YE TEMPAI!"

Omi started first climbing with the help of the third arm sash.

"Come on Kimiko! You can't win like that!" said Raimundo.

Kimiko nodded and started climbing. Omi was far above her, but she couldn't give up and she had to remain focused. The tangle web comb wouldn't work if she wasn't focused. Omi was nearly at the top now. There was only one thing she could do. She pulled the comb out of her hair.

"TANGLE WEB COMB!" she shouted and the ropes flew from the comb and wrapped themselves around Omi.

He fell and Kimiko climbed faster, reached out and grabbed the lasso. The light flashed again and they were back in the clearing.

Kimiko looked over at Omi and Clay.

"I'm so…" began Kimiko, but she couldn't say it.

"Come on!" said Raimundo grabbing her arm and pulling her away.

"You lost them!" said Katnappe.

"No, you lost them!" said Jack.

"It was your ridiculous machines' fault! They can't even follow simple instructions!" said Katnappe.

"Don't blame them!" said Jack.

"No, I'll blame the idiot who made them!" said Katnappe.

Jack opened his mouth to argue and then shut it again.

"This isn't getting us anywhere. The point is we lost them and there's nothing we can do about that right now!" he said.

"But we can track them down!" said Katnappe, pulling a hand held computer out of her pocket.

"Huh?" asked Jack, leaning over.

"Remember a while ago when I took the tiger claws and ran. Well later I met up with the Xiaolin brats in a shopping mall and there I kicked their butts!" she said, tapping the screen.

"And?"

"Well while I was doing that, I attached placed tracer needles in their skin, without them noticing. They were too busy having their butts kicked see! This is how technology should be used!" she said while pointing to the screen, where two dots labelled 'Kimiko' and 'Raimundo' where flashing.

"Raimundo!" said Kimiko, pulling her arm away.

"What?" he asked, "I don't want a confrontation!"

"We need to go back, we need to explain!" said Kimiko, turning.

Raimundo pulled her back.

"They won't listen, not to either of us! And even if they do they'll never really trust you…" began Raimundo.

"You mean like they don't trust you," she said.

Raimundo frowned. He knew what he'd done was wrong, but she didn't have to rub it in his face. He wasn't trying to pull her away just so he'd have someone else to travel with, he didn't want her to be on her own because it was when he was on his own that he had decided to help Wuya. He couldn't let that happen to Kimiko or anyone else!

Kimiko took a deep breath.

"I'm sorry, but I'm going back. They won't kick me out, Omi was just…exaggerating. Besides they didn't even kick you out, you left and Master Fung said that you could come back if you…" said stopped at the look on Raimundo's face.

She knew Master Fung knew that Raimundo wasn't going to return to the temple.

"I…"began Kimiko, "You're right they wouldn't want me back."

A tear ran down her cheek. Raimundo handed her a tissue. She looked at him puzzled.

"We'll be okay. Why don't you come back to Brazil with me for a while? You'll like it there! Lots of shops and beaches, we can just hang out. Y'know like when we were at the temple!" he said, smiling.

"Only…" said Kimiko, "Only if I take the Shen-Gong-Wu back first! I promised!"

Raimundo considered it for a second and then shook his head.

"Too risky," he said, "But what we could do is this; we use the serpent's tail to get to Brazil and then mail it, the sash and the flip coin back to the temple?"

"What about the comb and the lasso?" asked Kimiko.

"You won those fair and square! They're yours to keep and if you really want to explain that bad you can send a letter with them to explain. You never know, they might apologise and let you back!" said Raimundo.

Kimiko sighed and wondered what she should do. She couldn't go back to the temple now, but couldn't keep the coin, sash and tail. They weren't hers.

"Okay," she said, "I'll do it!"

Dojo landed in the temple grounds. Omi and Clay climbed down and Master Fung walked towards them.

"Why are you looking so miserable young Monk?" he asked.

"We have failed our mission to retrieve the Golden Lasso. I lost the showdown." Said Omi, looking at his feet.

"And that ain't even the worst of it!" Said Clay, "It's who he lost it to!"

"Who?" asked Master Fung.

"Kimiko!" said Omi, "She has joined Raimundo!"

Master Fung smiled gently; he could guess what had happened.

"I do not suppose that you tried to hear her side of the story and merely challenged her out of the blue?" he asked.

Omi bit his lip; Master Fung was right. It had looked as though Kimiko wanted to explain, but Omi was so sure that she had turned against him. Perhaps he should try to find her…

"Do not worry young Monk, just try to get some rest and do not worry about Kimiko and Raimundo. They have shown on many occasions that they can take care of themselves." Said Master Fung, turning away.

"We're lost aren't we?" said Jack.

"No, my trackers can't keep a lock on them. They must be using a Shen-Gong-Wu." Said Katnappe, putting the hand held computer in her pocket.

"We're lost." Said Jack, leaning over the edge of his hover car, "Maybe we should ask for directions?"

"We're not lost!" said Katnappe.

"Then where are we?" asked Jack.

Katnappe didn't answer; she was too busy rummaging through her bag.

"What're you looking for?" Jack asked.

"My ear plugs, I'm sure I had them in here somewhere!" said Katnappe.

"Ha ha! So funny!" said Jack.

"I don't know why I paired up with you!" said Katnappe.

"I know the feeling!" said Jack.

"I think I've got another lock on them!" said Katnappe, tapping the screen.

Jack watched as two names appeared on the screen, then vanished again.

"They've moved on!" said Jack.

"Yes, but I think I can tell where they're heading for!" said Katnappe, "This is purrfect!"

"No cat jokes!" shouted Jack, "Where are the heading?"

"Brazil!"


	3. chapter 3

Kimiko and Raimundo appeared in the middle of an empty alley.

"Great!" said Kimiko, "Now where are we?"

Raimundo looked around the edge and his face lit up.

"We're in Brazil!" he said, happily.

"Really?" asked Kimiko.

"No, I'm just getting your hopes up!" said Raimundo sarcastically.

"Wow!" said Kimiko, shielding her eyes as she stepped into the sunlight.

"Yeah!" said Raimundo, stepping out beside her, "See why I wanted to come back?"

"It's beautiful!" she whispered.

"Come on, I know a great café around here!" said Raimundo, pulling her along.

"Are we going to go and find Raimundo and Kimiko today?" asked Omi.

"We're not going to go and find them!" said Master Fung, "They have to come back of their own free will or not at all!"

"But it doesn't feel right!" said Clay, "Just sitting' here while they're out there on their own!"

"I understand, but every step they takes them further and you may never know. That step may lead back here!" said Master Fung, walking away.

"But what if that step is in the wrong direction!" said Omi, looking down at his feet.

"Let's just hope it's not!" said Clay.

"If you ask me," said Dojo, "They should get somewhere safe; now that Wuya's on the loose they can't be too careful!"

"Raimundo!" said the Waitress, holding a tray up on her shoulder, "We haven't seen you here in months! How've you been?"

"Great!" said Raimundo, "More or less! You?"

"Average!" she said, "Two ice-cream sundaes coming up, on the house!"

"Thanks!" said Raimundo.

The waitress walked away. Kimiko looked at Raimundo.

"I used to come here a lot!" said Raimundo, sitting at a table.

Kimiko sat opposite him and looked around. She had her hand clasped around the Mantas-flip-coin in her pocket. She had the strange feeling that they were being watched.

"What's up?" asked Raimundo.

"Nothing, it's just…" she began, but then the waitress came back with the sundaes.

She put them down on the table and gave Raimundo a grin before walking away. Raimundo suddenly lost interest in the conversation and began eating. He suddenly looked starving, and Kimiko guessed he hadn't eaten properly in days.

She picked up her own spoon and began eating, still feeling slightly uneasy. When they had eaten, Raimundo leant back in his chair and patted his stomach.

"Best Sundaes in the world!" he said, looking around, "I never should have left here!"

"You never should have come back!" said a voice behind them.

The looked around to see two tall boys looking down at them.

"Hey guys!" said Raimundo, standing up nervously.

Kimiko stood up beside him.

"I owe you!" said one of the boys, cracking his knuckles.

"I don't think you owe me anything!" said Raimundo, "We'll just be going!"

"You're not going anywhere!" said the other.

"If you keep going, we'll be going to the police now back off!" said Kimiko, stepping forward before Raimundo could stop her.

The boy looked down at her and they both began laughing.

"Who's this? Your girlfriend?" asked one of them, grabbing her arm.

Kimiko pulled him up and flipped him over and onto a table before he had chance to react. At the same time Raimundo had grabbed the other and spun him around into a lamppost.

"Try anything like that again and you'll be out cold for a month!" said Kimiko, grabbing Raimundo and walking away.

"Dammit!" said Jack, looking out from an alley way, "Even when there are just two of them they're a strong team!"

"Teams can be broken up!" said Katnappe, "And even if we don't break them up, there are two more who we can separate and on their own, the brats aren't much of a challenge!"

"You think?" asked Jack, looking around at her.

"I'm purrfectly positive!" she said.

"No more cat jokes!" said Jack shivering, "They're sooo annoying!"

"That's the point!" said Katnappe, laughing.

Jack ran a hand over his face in frustration.

"How did I end up in this team?" he asked himself.

Kimiko and Raimundo stopped walking about two streets away from the café they had previously been at.

"Hey…thanks," he said awkwardly.

"No problem, what did you do to make them that angry anyway?" asked Kimiko.

"I sort of…started a few fights, nothing unusual for me really," said Raimundo.

"Well I would've thought that you could handle those guys on your own," said Kimiko.

"I could've before I left, training at the temple has really helped me out!" laughed Raimundo.

He trailed and looked at his feet. Kimiko watched him.

"We could go back to the temple if you really want…" she said.

"No, I left for a reason and so did you! We've got to stand by what we believe is right!" he said.


	4. chapter 4

Omi walked along the path hoping that no one had noticed him leaving the temple. He knew that he should've listened to Master Fung and Clay, but he wanted to talk to Kimiko, to stop her from going the same way as Raimundo. He breathed deeply and prayed that something would give him guidance.

"Didn't think you were leaving without us did you?" came a familiar voice from behind him.

Omi turned around to see Clay and Dojo walking up behind him.

"As I remember it Master Fung told us not to follow Kimiko and Raimundo, "said Dojo lazily, "But I suppose that you know better?"

"I'm sorry, but I must go. If you do not wish to lose your sash you may wish to turn around now!" said Omi, "I will completely understand!"

"I'm not going to let you go all that way on your own!" said Clay, "I'm in!"

Dojo looked from one to the other.

"I'd better go too, just to make sure that you don't get yourselves into trouble!" he said, dreading his decision even before he said it.

"Great, it's practically a road trip!" laughed Clay.

"Yes, that is very good, but how are we going to find Kimiko and Raimundo?" asked Omi.

Clay thought for a second.

"If I know Raimundo, he'll be on his way to Rio. You know how much he wished he hadn't left!" he said, "And if Kimiko thinks that we're against her then she'll be with him!"

"Rio it is!" called Dojo.

Dojo grew in size and Clay and Omi climbed onto his back. They started to fly away.

"You'd better be right about this!" he muttered to Clay.

Master Fung watched them disappearing into the distance. He sighed and a small smile spread over his lips. He had thought that Omi would follow his orders, but the young monk must be stronger than he thought. Their friendship was even stronger then their power now and it would take more than Wuya and Jack Spicer to break them apart now.

"Raimundo!" said Kimiko.

Raimundo stirred and woke up.

"What's up?" asked Raimundo.

"I think I heard something!" said Kimiko.

"Where?" asked Raimundo.

"Outside Dingbat!" she hissed.

They were staying in a small house near the beach. Raimundo had decided that he didn't want to go home just yet, but he had the key to a small hut that they could stay in. Kimiko hadn't realised just how small he meant.

"It's probably just the wind," he muttered and rolled over.

"Raimundo!" Kimiko said loudly, "I doubt that the wind groans and goes 'ow' when it falls over!"

"It might do," said Raimundo.

Kimiko stared at him and he rolled his eyes before getting up. He walked quietly over to the door and stood on one side. Kimiko stood beside him, ready to attack. Raimundo gripped the door handle looked up at her. She nodded and he pulled the door open. Outside was Jack Spicer, currently in the middle of an argument with Katnappe.

"Do you even know the meaning of 'quietly'?" asked Katnappe harshly.

"Hey, you pushed me!" said Jack loudly.

"That's because you were making too much noise!" said Katnappe, pushing him again.

"Don't push me!" said Jack, even louder than before.

Jack and Katnappe both suddenly stopped arguing and looked round at the two young dragons in training standing in the door way staring at them.

"Now look, you woke them up!" said Jack angrily.

"_Who_ woke them up?" asked Katnappe starting on him again.

Raimundo and Kimiko looked at each other and then back at the two figures still arguing on the door step.

"Look, I'm very tired and you're keeping me awake," said Kimiko, stepping forward, "If you want to fight, we'll just beat you now and get it over with because I want to go back to bed!"

Jack and Katnappe stopped arguing and turned to face them.

"Who said we wanted to fight you?" asked Jack.

"You don't?" asked Raimundo.

"No, just hang over the tiger claws and I'll be on my way!" said Katnappe.

"Ha! Not likely," said Kimiko preparing to fight.

"Besides," said Raimundo, "We don't even have the claws anymore."

"What?" asked Katnappe, glaring at him suspiciously.

"Wuya stole them off me just before you guys last turned up," said Raimundo, "If you want the claws, go take it up with her!"

"In that case," said Jack, "We'll just take the other Shen-gong-wu you've got."

"Not likely," said Kimiko, "_Tangle-web-comb_!"

Katnappe and Jack Spicer were suddenly tied together and Kimiko grabbed Raimundo and pulled him past them.

"We'd better get away from them before they get loose!" she said, starting to run away.

By the time Dojo, Omi and Clay landed in Rio it was already midday. The dragon, which could be fast when needed, was moving annoyingly slow due to the fact that he was still half asleep. Clay and Omi jumped down from his back and looked up and down the beach. Clay stretched to loosen his joints.

"Guess we should look around for a bit," he said, "No point in waiting around."

"Should we spread out?" asked Omi.

"Not the best idea. Especially in a place we don't know very well," said Dojo.

"We should stick together then," said Clay, "Where should we look first?"

"Anywhere with surfing," said Dojo, "Or where trouble is, I'm not fussy,"

Omi sighed. Looking for Raimundo was a lot harder than looking for Kimiko, but Kimiko was sure to go wherever Raimundo was so…

"Let's start with the surfing," said Omi.


	5. chapter 5

Kimiko and Raimundo rounded a corner; Raimundo pulled Kimiko against the wall and peered around the wall to see if they were being followed. He sighed with relief and smiled at Kimiko.

"They're not following us," he said, "You did really good back there."

"Nothing you couldn't have done," said Kimiko.

"Not really," said Raimundo grinning, "I'm not awake enough to focus like that in the morning!"

"Well…we've got to look out for each other," said Kimiko, her face turning red, "We are friends on the run after all!"

"Got that right," said Raimundo, "How about some breakfast?"

"Great, I'm starving!" said Kimiko.

Omi sat down on the soft sad and pulled off his boots.

"My feet are murdering me!" he said groaning.

"You mean killing you," said Clay.

"That too, how long is this beach?" asked Omi.

"Don't' know, but it seems to go on for ever!" said Clay.

"That's just because it's first thing in the morning," said Dojo, "You're getting worse than Raimundo!"

"We must not give up!" said Omi, "We need to find Kimiko before it is too late!"

"Why don't we just ask them for directions?" asked Clay, nodding to one of the cabins.

Omi and Dojo looked round and saw Jack Spicer and Katnappe fighting the binds of the tangle-web-comb (or more precisely, attempting to fight the binds of the comb and failing miserably).

"Jack Spicer!" said Omi, jumping to his feet.

"Should we help them out?" asked Dojo.

"Only if they've got useful information!" said Clay, walking up to them.

He looked them each in the face and grinned.

"I'm gonna make this simple!" he said, "Nod once for yes, twice for no. If we think that you're lying, we'll leave you here. If you refuse to answer we'll leave you here. Understand?"

Neither of them moved.

"Do you understand?" asked Clay loudly.

Jack and Katnappe flinched and nodded once.

"Did you find Raimundo and Kimiko here?" he asked.

They nodded once.

"Did you take any Shen-Gong-Wu from them?"

Two nods.

"Do you have any Shen-Gong-Wu on you at the moment?"

They nodded twice.

"Do you know what way they went?"

One nod.

Clay began pointing in different directions, responding to the nods of the two people tied up in front of him. He eventually pulled himself up and turned to Omi and Dojo.

"Let's go find ourselves a couple of dragons!" said Clay.

There were two loud grunts behind him. Clay turned around to see Katnappe and Jack glaring at him.

"Oh yeah, about us letting you go," said Clay, "Well first we have to see if you're telling the truth and second…it was really only Kimiko who ever figured out to use the comb properly so we can't actually do anything…sorry!"

With that they walked away.

"You like the food?" asked Raimundo.

"It makes a nice change from temple food!" laughed Kimiko.

Raimundo laughed.

"I never really did take to that stuff," he said, before looking down at the table, "Come to think of it I never really took to the temple all that well…"

Kimiko hesitated for a second before reaching out and taking his hand.

"It's okay Raimundo," she said giving him a gentle smile, "I understand…"

Their eyes met and then…

Omi, Clay and Dojo rounded a corner to where a small café was standing.

"We've looked everywhere," said Dojo, "I can't see them."

"Dirty snakes!" said Clay, slamming his fist into his own hand, "Jack Spicer and Katnappe lied to us!"

"Think about what you just said, and you're surprised?" said Dojo.

"I also should have suspected that they had lied to us. It was far too simple just to follow their instructions." Omi said, a sinking feeling appearing in him stomach.

"Maybe we should turn around, retrace our steps?" asked Clay, "We might have missed them."

Dojo and Omi both sighed.

"We have been up since early morning," said Omi, "Perhaps we should stop for refreshment?"

"You mean food?" asked Clay, suddenly seeming more awake.

"We need to keep our strength up if we're going to keep looking for them!" said Dojo.

They all started towards the café a little way down the street. As they approached Omi pointed out two familiar people.

"It is Raimundo and Kimiko!" he shouted running up to them.

He stopped next to their table and took a step back in surprise. Kimiko and Raimundo were kissing…

Katnappe closed her eyes, trying to clear her mind. This wasn't easy with Jack still trying to break loose beside her, but the strings unraveled themselves and disappeared.

"Hey, we're free!" said Jack, grinning.

"No thanks to you!" said Katnappe, brushing herself off.

Jack glared at her and turned away.

"If you don't want my help I'll just go home now!" said Jack angrily.

"Sounds like a plan!" said a croaky voice from above them.

They both peered up and saw Wuya floating in the air above them.

"Now tell me, where are the Xiaolin dragons?" she asked.

Katnappe and Jack both stayed silent.

"I won't ask again!" Wuya shouted.

"If I tell you," said Katnappe, "What's in it for me?"

A cruel smile spread across Wuya's face and her eyes glinted.

"My dear, we still have much in common," she said, "And if you help me. I give you my word that I'll make it worth your while…"


	6. chapter 6

Kimiko and Raimundo broke apart and then they noticed Omi staring at them.

"Omi!" said Kimiko, standing up.

"What are you doing here?" asked Raimundo, annoyed.

"We came to speak to Kimiko," said Clay, "Not that it's any of your business!"

"Actually it is!" said Raimundo.

"Sorry to interrupt what was obviously a heart felt conversation, but we need to speak to one of our fellow dragons!" said Dojo, jumping onto the table.

"She's not one of you anymore," said Raimundo, standing up angrily, "You made it pretty clear that you didn't want her to be a part of your little gang anymore!"

"That's not true!" said Clay.

"We heard you talking about it!" Raimundo shouted.

Kimiko was watching Omi, who still wasn't saying anything. He was just staring at his feet, he face slightly pink.

"Omi?" asked Kimiko quietly.

Omi span around and ran away.

"Omi?" called Kimiko.

She watched him run away and then turned back to where Raimundo, Dojo and Clay were arguing.

"Kimiko doesn't want to go back with you!" said Raimundo.

"Well let's ask her!" said clay, turning to Kimiko, "Do you want to come back to the temple?"

Kimiko opened her mouth to answer.

"You want to stay in Brazil with me don't you?" asked Raimundo.

"Let her talk!" said Dojo.

"Stop interrupting!" said Raimundo.

They continued to argue and Kimiko's temper raised.

"SHUT UP!" she shouted.

Dojo, Clay and Raimundo all stopped and stared at her. None of them said anything.

"I'll decide on my own!" said Kimiko, "Now will someone please explain why Omi just ran off?"

"Isn't it obvious?" asked Clay.

"What?" asked Kimiko.

"Omi's always liked you Kimiko, didn't you notice?" Clay said, staring at her.

Kimiko put her hand over her mouth. She turned away and began to run in the direction Omi had headed in.

'This is all my fault!' she thought to herself bitterly, 'I never even noticed! Why did I have to go and kiss Raimundo? Now I'm going to ruin my friendship with Omi!'

She rounded a corner.

'This is so stupid, why didn't Omi tell me? And now I like Raimundo! How is Omi ever going to speak to me again now? I never even thought of Omi in that way. I've never liked him like that, but I never even considered what he was thinking! He's never going to listen to me and Raimundo now…'

Kimiko rounded another corner and saw Omi sitting on a brick wall with his back to her.

"Omi…" Kimiko said gently, walking up to him.

She sat down on the wall next to him. Omi didn't say anything; he was staring blankly at the ocean in front of him.

"Omi…I'm so sorry…" Kimiko began.

"What about?" he asked quietly, "We were the ones who came to apologize."

"Why?" asked Kimiko.

"We did not wait to listen to your side of the story before we attacked," said Omi.

"Omi I don't care about that," said Kimiko, "I should've guessed about that. I came to apologize because…oh, Omi, why didn't you ever tell me?"

"Tell you what?" asked Omi.

"That you…y'know…liked me," Kimiko stared at him.

Omi thought about his answer for a second.

"You were the first girl I ever…liked…and I was confused, I did not want to do something I would regret later." He said, still staring away from her.

"Omi, you should've told me!" said Kimiko.

She hugged him tightly and when she pulled away, Omi looked at her again.

"Do you…like…Raimundo?" asked Omi.

"Well…um…yes I do, I like him a lot." Said Kimiko, going pink.

"Then you should stay with him, whether it means Raimundo coming back to the temple or you going with him else where," said Omi.

"Raimundo won't come back to the temple, but…the temple is my home. I don't know if I want to leave or not." Said Kimiko.

"You won't have to worry about that soon enough, because there won't be a temple!" laughed a voice behind them.

Kimiko and Omi moved around to see Wuya, Katnappe and Jack blocking the street.

"Come on Clay!" said Raimundo, running around another corner, "If you want to find Kimiko and persuade her to go back with you, you'll have to be a lot faster!"

"I'm…going…to get…him!" said Clay, stopping for breath.

The three of hem had spotted Katnappe, Jack and Wuya land in the Jack's craft only a few minutes ago and for the moment they were attempting to forget their differences (not that Raimundo was making it easy!).

Clay and Dojo carried on around the next corner and saw the three villains standing in the street. Raimundo was standing defensively and Wuya turned around to face them.

"Well here are the rest of them," she cackled.

"Raimundo!" called Kimiko.

Jack was holding her with a knife at her throat and Katnappe had Omi. Jack pushed the knife a little harder. Kimiko flinched slightly.

"Kimiko!" called Raimundo, "It's okay! I'll get you, I promise!"

"Don't make a promise you can't keep," said Wuya.

"You'd know all about that wouldn't you," said Raimundo.

Raimundo pulled out the golden Lasso Kimiko had won in the showdown between Omi and herself.

"Do you think you'd be any good with that?" asked Wuya, laughing hard.

"I won't," Raimundo threw the lasso into the air, "Clay, catch!"

Clay caught the lasso in his hand and in a matter of seconds it was looped around Wuya. She began to struggle in the lasso, but couldn't break free. Raimundo dived at Katnappe and caught her by surprise. Both she and Omi went flying and Raimundo helped Omi to his feet.

"Kimiko," they both said and turned to Jack Spicer.

"I wouldn't try anything if I were you," said Jack, grinning.

Kimiko let out a small whimper and blood began to trickle down her neck from the shallow cut Jack was creating on her throat.

"Let her go!" said Raimundo.

"Release her or you will be in great trouble!" said Omi.

"Let Wuya go first!" said Jack, looking at Clay.

Raimundo looked round at Clay who was staring at him.

"Don't!" said Kimiko desperately, "Don't let Wuya escape."

"We can't…" began Omi.

"Don't let her escape!" said Kimiko again, "Don't worry about me."

"Kim…I can't…" said Clay.

Kimiko didn't answer. She was staring at Raimundo, waiting for him to meet her eyes. Raimundo looked straight into her face. Their eyes connected and he understood.

"WHAT THE?" shouted Raimundo, staring into the sky.

Everyone looked up, except Kimiko, who stamped down on Jack's foot.

"Ow!" he shouted and he took a step back, allowing Kimiko time to go slam her elbow straight into the centre of his face.

There was a loud crack and Kimiko ducked down and kicked Jack's legs out from under him. He fell down onto the floor, clutching at his broken nose. Wuya took this time to duck out of the lasso, while Clay was distracted. She began to run away, but Omi jumped in front of her.

"One last showdown," said Kimiko, holding a hand to her neck, "Me and you, winner gets all, loser dies,"

Wuya stared at her.

"What do you say?" asked Kimiko.

Wuya smiled.

"Sounds like fun,"


	7. chapter 7

Kimiko and Wuya faced each other. Raimundo, clay, Omi and Dojo were standing on the side lines, waiting for Kimiko to announce her challenge.

"Well?" asked Wuya, impatiently.

"Simple, it's a battle of Shen-Gong-Wu, yours against ours for the…golden tiger claws," said Kimiko, "how many Shen-Gong-Wu do you have?"

"The Sword of the storm, Orb of Tsunami and two-ton-tunic," said Wuya.

"Then I get three of our Shen-Gong-Wu," said Kimiko.

She turned and looked down at the alignment of Shen-Gong-Wu on the floor.

"I chose the Golden Lasso, Serpent's tail and Mantas-Flip-Coin!" said Kimiko, picking them up, "If we lose you take the rest, if I win I take yours. Simple."

"Good," said Wuya.

"GONG-YE-TEMPAI!"

The buildings fell away and they floated up and soon they were surrounded by stars and below them was a vast black ocean.

"_Mantas-Flip-Coin_!" shouted Kimiko, leaping forward at Wuya.

"_Sword of the storm_!" shouted Wuya and Kimiko phased straight through her.

"_Golden lasso_!" shouted Kimiko, just as Wuya became solid again and once again Wuya was held in their restraints.

"You got her now Kimiko!" called Raimundo.

"Get her!" called Clay.

"Quickly!" said Omi.

Kimiko didn't get a chance to move before Wuya used the sword of the storm to phase straight through the rope. Wuya ran forward and rammed the sword straight into Kimiko. Kimiko's head fell.

"KIMIKO!" shouted Raimundo.

Raimundo leapt forwards and landed down beside Kimiko.

"Kim…" said Raimundo.

"You're too late!" laughed Wuya.

"I don't think so," said Kimiko, raising her head.

The Serpent's tail was clutched in her hand. Kimiko wasn't solid anymore; the sword had gone straight through her.

"But he entered the fight, so you automatically lose!" laughed Wuya.

"No," said Kimiko, "I challenge you to a Sheng-Ye-Bu dare! From now on Raimundo and myself fight as a team!"

"But you…" began Wuya.

"Never once when stating the rules did I say I couldn't challenge you to a dare nor did I say that Raimundo couldn't help me fight!" said Kimiko, "You really should pay attention to the rules more carefully Wuya."

Wuya withdrew the sword and frowned. She couldn't change anything.

"We're a team." Said Kimiko, "Nothing will break us apart."

Kimiko passed Raimundo the Serpent's tail and Flip coin, keeping the lasso for herself.

"_Orb of tsunami_!" called Wuya and water flooded the ground.

"_Mantas flip coin_!" shouted Raimundo, pulling himself and Kimiko up.

The water fell of the edge, adding to the black water below them.

"_Serpent's tail_!" shouted Raimundo phasing through Wuya, becoming solid just long enough to grab the third-arm-sash from Wuya's side.

He landed behind her and turned around.

"_Third-arm-sash_!" he shouted, pulling the sword from her hand.

"_Golden Lasso_!" shouted Kimiko, wrapping the rope around Wuya tightly, "go Raimundo!"

Raimundo ran forward and ran the sword straight into Wuya, not noticing that she had draw a knife and stabbed him straight in the stomach.

Raimundo gasped and fell to his knees as the ground began to crumble around Wuya. Kimiko ran forward and pulled Raimundo to safety. The water was pulling Wuya under and she was screaming horribly.

"I'LL GET YOU, THAT'S A PROMISE!" screeched Wuya as the water crept up her skinny body and dragged her under.

A few bubbles rose to the surface, and then the water was still. There was a flash of light and they were all back on the street, except for Wuya. Kimiko was holding Raimundo close to her.

"You're gonna be okay," said Kimiko gently, "I promise!"

"Come on," said Dojo, growing large and Clay lifted Raimundo up onto his back.

Kimiko and Omi climbed up too. Kimiko sat with Raimundo's head on her lap. He was unconscious through most of the journey back to the temple…

Raimundo blinked sleepily and opened his eyes. He looked around and he suddenly knew where he was; back at the temple. He tried to get up fast, but the stab wound that was bandaged, was preventing him from going anywhere fast. He got out of bed and pulled his top back on. He crept quietly to the door where he could hear voices.

"Damn," he muttered and turned around.

Another door at the other side of the room opened and Master Fung entered.

"I see you are awake Raimundo," he said, smiling.

Raimundo backed against the door.

"Do not worry, you are welcome here and must say," said master Fung, "Kimiko seems happy to see you back."

"I…I've gotta go," said Raimundo.

"You're not well enough to leave just yet," said Master Fung, "You experienced an extremely serious wound and need time to heal. You will be able to leave if you wish in a day or two."

Raimundo looked around the room. He had forgotten just how much he liked the building. It was a fun place to be, always something to do.

"Kimiko will be along shortly," said master Fung, "She has hardly left your room for the past five days."

"Five days?" asked Raimundo.

He sat down on the bed and Master Fung sat down in the chair next to it.

"I understand that you feel that you have no right to be here," said Master Fung, "but you have every right to stay. You are a chosen dragon,"

"A chosen dragon who betrayed the temple." Said Raimundo.

"True, but you helped us. You helped Kimiko to defeat Wuya. The earth is now safe from Wuya for ever." Said Master Fung.

"It's my fault the Earth was in danger in the first place," sad Raimundo.

"I think you need time to think through what really happened, and then you can leave if you wish," said Master Fung, standing up, "In the mean time I'll keep your room locked from distractions."

Kimiko woke in the middle of the night to hear a crashing sound. She got up and walked through the temple to find Raimundo trying to put the door back in place. When he noticed her he dropped it quickly.

"It wasn't me I swear!" said Raimundo suddenly.

"You're a bad liar, do you know that?" asked Kimiko.

"Well…yeah." Said Raimundo, grinning.

"Well if you're going to go you could at least say goodbye," said Kimiko angrily.

"I…didn't want to upset you…" said Raimundo.

"Raimundo…I love you," said Kimiko, "Of course I want to see you before you go!"

"So…you're not coming with me." Said Raimundo, his face falling.

Kimiko watched him and then shook her head. Her eyes filling with tears.

"They need me here," she said.

"Then you should stay," said Raimundo.

Kimiko started to cry silently and Raimundo pulled her forward and held her tightly.

"I love you too," he said, "but I can't stay."

He turned away and walked through the temple doors. Kimiko stood facing them.

"You should go," said Omi behind her.

She turned around. Omi watched her.

"We don't need you here that badly, and besides, we know that if we do need your help, we can find you." Said Omi.

"But…I can't just leave…" said Kimiko.

"Go, before it's too late." Said Omi, "He'll be long gone soon."

"Omi!" said Kimiko, hugging him tightly, tears falling down her face, "I'll miss you."

She got up and ran through the temple doors.

"Raimundo!" she called loudly.

Raimundo turned around on the path and a huge smile spread across his face.

"I'm coming with you!" she shouted.

Raimundo caught her up and span her around.

Back in the temple, Clay stood beside Omi.

"You okay?" he asked.

"Of course," said Omi, "I'm glad for them and now…we get two new students to the temple."

Clay looked down at him.

"Perhaps, this time, we'll both get someone we can…like." Said Omi, grinning.

"You're hopeless," said Clay and they turned and the temple doors closed behind them.

_**THE END!**_


End file.
